Collaborating with the Youth

Through the Capacity to Care program, Bella Graphics & Display has the opportunity to work with many fantastic non-profits, local and national alike. One of our upcoming CTC projects involves printing banners for the Sheridan County YMCA’s Youth Soccer Teams. These banners will include logos for each team, which the members design themselves.

YMCA Program Director Luke Gibson asked Bella to take its participation in this project a step further by providing each team with design tips. On January 26, 2012, the YMCA hosted a design workshop for the teams to gather and brainstorm ideas for the logos. Bella donated pieces of foam board for the teams to input their final designs. Each logo will then be scanned and printed onto the banners.

YMCA Youth Soccer team participants sketch ideas for logos.

Bella’s Bryan Bergstreser attended the workshop and offered this advice to the teams:

Be original – Bryan urged the youth not to rely on stock art and to ensure that their design does not contain any copyright infringement.

Be timeless – the logos will represent each team in the years to come, so they should be timeless. This means that the design should not rely on current trends, which will one day become obsolete.

Be proud – each team will have its logo on display, so the design should garner a sense of pride and teamwork. Bryan urged the teams to take their time to create and perfect the logos.

Be simple – complex designs lose detail when printed in small sizes. It may look great on the team banner, but not so much on the jerseys or other branding materials.

Be picky – font and color choice can make or break a logo. Bryan cautioned the teams to remember that the logos will appear in several different mediums. A logo should always be readable and identifiable.

Bryan Bergstreser offers design guidelines to team members.

The teams were asked to submit an initial draft to Luke by February 3. We look forward to seeing the final designs and will post pictures once the banners are completed. It has been a pleasure working on this project.

Kennon Products, Inc. Introduces its Core Values

Kennon Products, Inc. and its subsidiary, Bella Graphics & Display, have developed an official set of core values applicable to both companies.

Members of the Kennon and Bella teams worked together to define these values over the past few months. Now we would like to present its core values:

This concept speaks for itself. Kennon believes strongly in the notion of compassion and consideration for people, whether it be a non-profit organization that serves the community, military personnel that dedicate their lives to protect our country, a colleague who works overtime to finish a project or a customer who seeks advice on a product.

The safety of colleagues and customers is a top priority at Kennon. Kennon encourages everyone to work safely, play safely and live safely at all times.

Urgency does not equate to cutting corners. Kennon values efficiency, but also strives for exceptional and reliable products and services. Kennon promises “Safer Covers Built to Last” and it must live up to that promise.

Kennon has an inside joke about completing tasks or projects “by Friday.” Granted, this isn’t a feasible deadline for many projects, but the idea of completing a task efficiently and in a timely manner is of the utmost importance.

The term “quality” holds different meaning for different people. Kennon believes in delivering products and services that not only meet a customer’s expectation or definition of quality, but exceeds it. Kennon desires to make good on its promises and to be held accountable.

Innovation has become a necessity in today’s world. Kennon encourages both employees and customers to think outside of the box and exercise creativity, because fear holds people back from achievement all too often.

This signifies transparency, both to co-workers and customers. Every employee has the ability and the authority to do right by customers and to speak truthfully.

Kennon encourages its employees to enjoy themselves, no matter where they are. Keeping the work environment fun enhances employee relationships and productivity.

The hiring process at Kennon is very selective. Once the right person joins the team, Kennon strives to keep that person and help him/her become the best he/she can be.

In alignment with being held accountable and having shared authority to do the right thing, Kennon encourages feedback from employees and customers. Kennon wishes to maintain lines of communication that are transparent, always truthful and considerate of others.

Adopt-a-Park

Sheridan's first Adopt-a-Park program was a success! About 20 members of the Capacity to Care team arrived at Kendrick Park on Monday, July 18th to sweep pavilions, scrape gum and other debris from park property, remove yard waste and pick up trash (especially cigarette butts).

Top: Owner Ron Kensey hard at work picking up trash

Bottom: Laura Carbert and Dakotah Gali sweep one of Kendrick's pavilions

We were very pleased with our clean up job and we hope that more local businesses will participate in the Adopt-a-Park program. We'd like to extend a special thanks to Chuck Carbert, Sheridan's Parks Director for all of his hard work!

The Man Behind the Printer

Have you ever seen a large format printer? It is quite impressive. The mere size of the device and its capabilities are fascinating. We are quite proud of our large format printer and are constantly amazed by its quality. The real story, though, is the man behind the printer. His name is Dwayne Hoopes.

Dwayne Hoopes loads fabric into Bella's large format printer.

Dwayne embodies the value of caring that we strive so hard for here at Bella Graphics & Display. When asked what he would do in the event that he won the lottery, he was quick to say that he would take care of his family.

"They've been taking care of me my whole life, so it's only fair that I take care of them."

Not only is he compassionate, but he also recognizes the value of giving back. He realizes that we all possess the capacity to care.

His mindset is truly inspiring when one considers the obstacles he has overcome. After years of struggling with addiction, Dwayne left everything he knew in Utah and made a fresh start for himself here in Sheridan. He joined our production team in November of 2010. When we needed someone to run the printer, Dwayne was quick to step up to the plate, even though he had no prior experience.

We couldn't have asked for a better candidate to fill that vacancy. Dwayne handles each project with the precision and care of a professional. He is down-to-earth, easy to work with and his story is incredibly touching. Next time you see one of our banners, signs, posters, etc., we hope you'll think of the man behind the printer.

Community Partnership

Through our Capacity to Care program, Kennon Products is partnering with Joey's FlyFishing Foundation, Inc. to provide youth in the community with products that will enhance their fly fishing experiences.

Joey's is a local non-profit that offers mentoring programs to youth, allowing them to experience fly fishing, personally hand craft their own rods, fly-tying and much more. Through Capacity to Care, Kennon will provide Joey's participants with fly rod covers, reel cases and other products made from recycled materials. Our sincerest hope is that the partnership will deliver positive, memorable experiences to the youth in our community.

The partnership was initiated by Kennon's Production and Customer Service Manager, Rhonda Gould (pictured below). Rhonda identified a need for a fly rod case that would be inexpensive and convenient for Joey's participants. She volunteered her time to design and sew these cases.

Above: Rhonda Gould cutting mesh material at Kennon's production facility

In alignment with Kennon's "Go Green" efforts, Rhonda chose to reuse scrap material for the cases. We'll continue this initiative with the products we create for this partnership. This will help to reduce waste and reinforce the environment-friendly behaviours that Joey's teaches its participants.

For more information about Joey's, visit http://www.joeysflyfishing.com/.

I Think Highly of the Concept of Volunteer Organization

I watched the finally of Celebrity Apprentice. They raised over 3 million for good causes. What a great show. We need more shows that help fund worthy causes. As you know, I believe non-governmental funded organizations are a better value than government managed or contracted programs.

No need to raise taxes or do away with the charitable tax deductions. They should make charitable gift a tax credit. Then do away with government contracted social programs.

Keystone Awards

Three Honored at 1st Annual Keystone Awards | Sheridan Media - Serving Sheridan Wyoming & Buffalo Wy

Bella Graphics and Display was pleased to support this outstanding event, honoring these fine citizens for their lifetime of community service!